Windows 10 Becomes the World’s Number One Desktop Operating System

Web analytics company StatCounter claims Windows 10 is now the world’s number one desktop operating system after it managed to overtake Windows 7 for the first time globally in January.

While figures regarding Windows 10 adoption are more or less different depending on the company that provides them, StatCounter explains that Microsoft’s most recent desktop operating system reached a share of 42.78% in January, while Windows 7 dropped to 41.86%.

“This is a breakthrough for Microsoft,” Aodhan Cullen, CEO, Statcounter, said when announcing that Windows 10 became the world’s top desktop operating system.

“Windows 10 was launched at the end of July 2015 and Microsoft will be pleased to have put its Windows 8 experience behind it. However, Windows 7 retains loyalty especially amongst business users. Microsoft will be hoping that it can replace it a lot quicker than XP, launched back in August 2001, which only fell below 5% usage worldwide in June of 2017.”

Windows 10 also number one in big markets

StatCounter says Windows 10 has constantly advanced towards becoming the world’s number one desktop operating system, as it managed to overtake Windows 7 in North America in January 2017. It did the same thing in the United Kingdom in June 2016. Windows 10 has also managed to outscore Windows 7 in terms of market share in several other markets across the world.

Without a doubt, this can only be good news for Microsoft, especially given the approaching end of support for Windows 7 in January 2020.

Microsoft is now preparing to roll out another major Windows update codenamed Windows 10 Redstone 4 and likely to hit the market as Windows 10 Spring Creators Update. The new release is expected to be finalized in March before being released to the production ring in April.